The Very Best: A Pokémon Sonic AU
by Caydebug
Summary: After a mishap on Twist Mountain and an otherworldly experience, Scourge and his Pancham find themselves stuck with a kid named Manic and his pet Rattata. The two hedgehogs embark on an adventure of their own, running into a few familiar faces and unique experiences along the way, though they soon discover that things aren't as peaceful as they seem. (Light T rating for language)
1. Chapter 1: A Second Chance

Darkness.

A never-ending expanse of darkness, the deep black only interrupted by tiny specks of light far off in the distance. Stars?

He looked down. Pancham was curled up, eyes closed tightly as it shivered in the hedgehog's arms. He tried to speak, but no words came out. All he could hear was the ringing in his ears and the distant sound of echoing wind. All this, accompanied by this strange feeling of floaty weightlessness. What was this place? How did they end up here?

… Running.

He remembered running. There were… People yelling. Lots of them. Barking, snarling Houndoom… Maybe something else. He wasn't sure.

Somewhere, he went off the path. _Never go off the path, it's dangerous,_ dad said. Bullshit. If you and your only friend in the world are being hunted down by some bastard mob grunts and their literal hell hounds, you'd go off the path. You'd go anywhere. The problem is that the Pokémon aren't afraid to follow. Once you step off that well-traveled dirt road, you're in their world, and they have no rules.

Not like there were any rules to begin with… As far as he could remember, they were always in charge. Those weird packs of humans in funny outfits, chasing people down, stealing their Pokémon, trying to awaken forgotten gods and destroy anything that got in their way. Dad… That idiot tried to fix it, all on his own. Left with nothing but Dewott and the clothes on his back. The fool. Probably didn't last long. He never came home, not like that was a surprise. Dumbass would rather die trying to be a hero than take care of his damn kid. Bastard…

In a world with no rules, there was nothing preventing people from, oh… Sending their land sharks after you to slice you in half, or whatever the hell they wanted. Commanding their pack of dogs to chase after some kid who just wanted some fucking food that _wasn't those damn berries._ Fair, he _maybe_ stole a bit more than food, but fuck it, they had literally everything. They could afford to lose whatever the hell he had smuggled out of there.

That's what happened. He stole supplies, they found him, chased him, he slipped, and there just so happened to be a sheer drop down the snowy mountainside he didn't see.

That was a long fall.

He couldn't remember it.

Did he die?

That felt like the only possibility… If this was hell, it wasn't anything like he expected it to be. Less of a fiery burning pit within the depths of the earth, and more…

Quiet.

... Empty.

... ... Lonely.

He remembered the little panda shivering in his arms, and his heart sank.

 _Fuck._

If his stupid decisions lead to both him _and_ this tiny animal's death, he'd-... He'd-...

What even _could_ he do? Can't really do much to punish yourself if you're already dead. At least… he assumed so. His ears flattened against his head as the feeling of guilt grew stronger and stronger. This thing didn't do anything wrong, it just… Followed him. _He_ was the idiot who did all the bad shit and made all the stupid decisions. _He's_ the one who led them to that one point where everything went downhill. This was all _his_ fault.

A strange noise interrupted his thoughts.  
It sounded like something breathing down his neck.  
Something larger than life itself, in a way. It filled this infinitely empty space and echoed around him. It made him feel… _Really small._ Smaller than he already felt. _He hated that._

He _wanted_ to shout something. Anything, really. Snap at whatever the hell was in here with him. It was unnerving. Something _had_ to be making that noise. He couldn't possibly be alone in this place…

"You."

 _Shit, the noise talks._

Scourge looked around frantically, trying to figure out what the hell was talking to him. The sound was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It felt like he was upside-down. He wanted to yell, but despite his efforts, nothing happened. He couldn't even hear air coming out of his mouth. Just… Nothingness.

Suddenly, the floaty feeling dissipated, and he fell.

He would've screamed, but ended up landing directly on his head, collapsing weakly onto the-...

...ground?

He sat up, shaking his head quickly. He wasn't sitting on anything, just… More void. He didn't like this. Not at all. What was solid and what wasn't? This was too much. He checked over Pancham, who was still nestled in his arms. He was okay... That was one of the few things he cared about at this point.

He could hear himself breathing now. Maybe…

" _What's the big deal?"_ He snapped. There was a tone of fear in his voice as he continued to scan the area. He felt… Unsafe, to say the least. " _Hello?"_

"You've gotten into a lot of trouble, haven't you?"

Scourge tensed up. His quills stood on end. "Y-... _Yeah?"_ He called out, holding Pancham close to his chest. " _What's it to you!? Stop hiding and face me, ya coward!"_

"If that's your wish, so be it."

A ball of light appeared before the hedgehog, who flinched and tried to cover his eyes. When he peeked out from between his fingers, there was an odd, horse-like beast, staring down at him menacingly. It was pure white, with a golden ring surrounding its midsection and a halo of light shining from somewhere behind it.

Scourge was speechless. Too scared to scream. To move. He simply sat there with his mouth hanging open, barely breathing as he stared at the creature.

 _Arceus._

"You're confident until you realize that what you're facing is much greater than yourself. Bold of you to label others as cowards when you behave like this."

"I-..." Scourge managed to mutter. "I, you-..."

 _He just called one of the most powerful Pokémon in existence a coward._ What the hell was he supposed to say? _Sorry, God. I didn't mean it, I won't do it again?_ Bullshit. This must've been some shitty dream. Some fucked up hallucination he was experiencing before he _actually_ died. He was probably lying face down in the snow somewhere on Twist Mountain, slowly succumbing to the cold. That made more sense than whatever this was.

"If I'm dead, or-... _Or dying, or whatever…_ " The hedgehog said quietly, still genuinely afraid of this thing towering over him. It was _at least_ three times his size, if not more. "Could you save Pancham…?"

The beast stared down at him as he revealed the small creature in his arms, still curled up and absolutely terrified. It lowered its head to get a better look, then its gaze met Scourge's. It felt like it was judging him in the strangest way.

Scourge looked down and glanced off to the side, not wanting to make eye contact anymore. The wave of guilt washed over him once more. He hated every second of this. "He didn't do anything. He was just followin' me around, that's all…" He took a deep, shaky breath. Why did he feel so terrible about this? " _Please._ I mean-... _If you can._ I-if you want to! I-"

"You do not need to beg. I am able."

Scourge looked up again. The creature had its head raised, looking down at the two of them once more. He sniffled quietly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

"I do not personally conference each individual after death, you know. There is a reason for this meeting."

He shifted uncomfortably, not sure what else to do in this situation. You can't just fiddle with your fingers when you're talking to the thing that created the whole damn universe. "Was I _that bad?_ "

"Despite your transgressions, you have a purpose to be fulfilled. I have no ill will towards you."

Scourge looked down again. He felt strangely humble in this situation. "What're you saying?" He asked. There couldn't possibly be anything important he was meant to do. He could run fast and be an asshole. Those were his two skills, as far as he knew.

"You have a kind heart, but have locked it away out of fear of being hurt more than you already have been. You are aware when things are wrong, but do not know how to right them. You view the world as an inherently bitter and cruel place, but do not allow yourself to witness the good and wholesome things that, as rare as they are, still happen. You have the potential to do good within you, but you must learn to discover it for yourself. You are needed elsewhere, both for the benefit of others and for you. This is why I am willing to give you a second chance."

He took a deep breath through his nose, struggling to process everything. "Let me get this straight… You think I can be a good person, so you're just gonna let me come back from the dead after being a total dumbass and falling off a cliff after stealing a bunch of shit?" He asked, looking up at the creature once more. "What's the catch?"

"There is no more to this than what I have told you. If you would like to refuse my offer, you may. I will not deny you the option to do so."

Scourge thought about this for a moment. He could either die in a pathetic and stupid way, or take the chance to do-... _Whatever the hell this thing wanted him to._ He nodded, trying to force a smile now that he knew that he wasn't really in danger. "Well, in that case… Sure. I'll do your thing for ya. Where to?"

"That is something you will have to discover for yourself."

"Wait, what? You've gotta be kidding m-"

Arceus lowered its head once more, then reared back, lifting its front legs in the air as a glowing circle appeared on the ground around the hedgehog. He could feel a strange power buzzing through him. It felt… Warm. Energizing. The Pokémon let out a shrill and almost metallic cry, the area within the circle flashed white, then revealed what looked like a window into an area he didn't have time to recognize.

He fell.

He screamed.

Pancham cried.

He closed his eyes.

The ground was coming fast.

The darkness had returned.

* * *

Something poked him. He could hear it breathing quickly… Sniffing at him? He felt like he had been hit by a truck… He managed to open one eye, reaching up to push whatever was near him away, moaning softly. " _Hey, back off…"_

There was a strange hiss noise in response as whatever it was scrambled away, followed by a crunchy rustling sound. All he saw was a curly black tail before it disappeared.

He shook his head, opened his eyes, and blinked tiredly. As he sat up, he realized he was sitting in a pile of leaves. Looked like he was in the middle of some forest... Pancham was curled up nearby, asleep on his back. At least he was okay after… _All that._ How were they even alive? He scratched at his neck, then reached for his pocket...

His jacket.

Where was his jacket?

He felt like a complete moron. There he was, sitting in the middle of the woods, practically naked in a pile of leaves after falling from the sky. Stupid… Looking up, he noticed a hole in the canopy of leaves above him. Broken branches…

 _There it was,_ hanging from the bough of a tree.

 _Great._

He managed to get to his feet, shuffling along before making an attempt to climb up.

A really bad attempt.

A really, super bad, embarrassing attempt.

He couldn't climb trees for shit. He could barely get a grip on the thing, trying to hop up and kick around the base of the trunk. Horrible. Fences? Sure. Sheer-faced brick walls? No problem. A tree? Hardest thing in the world, for some reason. The fool.

Then, the jacket landed in his face. He fell, not expecting the sudden blindness, shouting in confusion as he somehow struggled to get it off his head. There was a dull thump next to him and a hand gently lifted a corner up. He found himself staring into a pair of bright pink eyes, a friendly face smiling back at him.

"You good, man?" The person asked, chuckling softly. Something chittered.

Scourge was stunned for a moment, then growled, whipping the jacket off his head and throwing it behind him. " _Who wants to know!?"_ He snapped. He was still agitated from his failed attempts at scaling the tree.

The person backed up a few steps, grinning and still snickering quietly. It was a hedgehog. A bit on the short side, but not by much. He-... _He assumed it was a he…_ Had _very messy quills_ , a few bent over and hanging in front of his eyes. Two gold rings dangled from his left ear. He had a bright orange-red vest and a fanny pack on his hip in the same color, along with some beat up old red and white sneakers. They looked like they had seen better days.

A black Rattata with oddly shaped whiskers and messy fur sat on his shoulder, still making that chittering noise. _It was laughing at him. Little shit._

"Oh, nobody. Just thought I'd ask." The scruffy-looking stranger held up a Pokéball, showing it to him. "You lose somethin'?"

Scourge blinked. He patted himself down quickly, looked around, then snatched the ball from the mystery man, grumbling to himself. " _I didn't need help, but thanks I guess…"_

The other hedgehog shrugged. His Rattata did the same, mimicking him. "Sure, dude."

" _Rattata!"_ The critter added, looking at the hedgehog. Its tail twitched and it started to rub its face, making the hissing sound again.

"Oh, yeah! Lunchtime…" The hedgehog said quietly, rolling his eyes. "Forgot." He looked back at Scourge, holding a hand out and sitting up straight. "Name's Manic! What's yours?"

Scourge stared at his hand for a second. Was this a joke? Some kind of trap? He didn't trust this guy, but reluctantly decided to grab his hand, gripping it tightly. Almost angrily. " _Scourge…"_

The hedgehog seemed pleased by this, then noticed his grip getting stronger. _Ow…_ His smile wavered as he shook his hand quickly, then pulled his own away, taking a look at his fingers as if to see if they were still there. " _Nice grip…_ " It was worth it to at least _try_ to lighten the mood. "Wanna hop over to the next town with us? Ya look like you could use a bite to eat."

The grumpy hedgehog thought about this. Sure, he wasn't really 100% trusting of this guy, but… Honestly? He looked too stupid to be dangerous, and there was no way he would pass up the chance to get some free food. He picked his jacket up off the ground and stood up, slipping it on and adjusting the collar. "Sure, don't see why not…" He directed his attention towards the panda on the ground, still snoozing on the forest floor. "'Ey, wake up!"

Pancham's ears perked up and he opened his eyes, looking frightened at first, then seeing Scourge. He let out a cheerful squeak and ran to him, hugging his legs and nearly knocking him over.

"Woah, woah! I missed you too, alright?" He sputtered, trying to keep his balance. He put his hand on the Pokémon's head, unable to resist smiling. "Let's get goin', okay? You can hug me all ya want later."

The other hedgehog-... _Manic._ He smiled, watching the two with this content look on his face. He almost looked proud. "He really likes you, huh? Nothin' like that bond between you and your Pokémon. Gotta love that!"

"What're you babbling about?" Scourge asked, looking back at this new weirdo who was suddenly part of his life.

"Oh, y'know! That friendship?" Manic clarified, his Rattata now perched on top of his head. "Best thing in the world." He started to walk away, getting back on the path and motioning for Scourge to follow. "C'mon, let's get goin'! Bakery opens in ten minutes! Gotta get there early if we want somethin' fresh!"

Pancham squeaked again, sounding excited as he looked up eagerly at Scourge. The hedgehog looked back at the panda, his expression softened into a smile, and he scooped up the Pokémon in his arms, running off after Manic. Fresh bread didn't sound too bad right about now…


	2. Chapter 2: Doduo Rodeo

"So, you fell outta the sky...?"

The dirty forest hedgehog's bright eyes were filled with curiosity, staring at Scourge as he took a bite out of a small loaf of fresh, warm bread. This bakery was just a tiny building on the edge of this small town. They were the only people in there, besides the little old woman behind the counter. She was polishing a glass case with some fruity pastries on display, lost in her own world. The pleasant scent of bread and sugary treats hung in the air. It felt like home... Even Scourge could agree with that, even if he didn't really know what 'home' truly felt like.

He took a bite out his own loaf, looking out the window with a disinterested look on his face. Some Pidgey scratched and pecked at the dirt path a few feet away, blissfully unaware of their presence behind the glass. "Yeah, I fall all the time." He shrugged. "No big deal."

Manic looked confused, still chewing on his food. "But…" His voice was muffled. He finished swallowing his bite of bread before speaking again. " _Out of the sky?_ " He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "You sure it isn't a big deal, man? We don't usually get, uh… Furry green meteors fallin' around here."

"Green?" That caught him off guard, and he blinked. What was he talking about, _green_? His coat was black, so it couldn't be that. He shook his head and looked back out the window again. Sure enough, the reflection staring back at him had fur that was this dull shade of green. " _What the-?_ "

Manic laughed quietly, but couldn't suppress the snort that managed to leak out. "What's with the face? Ya didn't know? Do you, like… Not have _mirrors_ where you come from?"

"Shut up!" Scourge snapped, turning back towards the offending giggly idiot. "I wasn't _like this_ before I fell. _Somethin'-..."_ He remembered the ordeal with Arceus, and wasn't shouting anymore. How the hell could he explain _that?_ And to a total stranger? "Some weird shit happened, okay?"

Manic nodded, taking another bite. His expression looked calmly skeptical, in a ' _sure, if you say so'_ kind of way.

Scourge honestly wanted to punch him, but something about this dipshit's baby face prevented his impulses from taking over. Damn him and those… _Fucking_ eyes _._ It was _something_ about his eyes. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was definitely that. _Yeah…_

God, thinking was stupid. Scourge slammed his hands down on the table. The other hedgehog and his Rattata under the chair both jumped. "I'm _bored._ Let's blow this joint and find somethin' fun to do!"

Manic's initial shock faded away as he started to awkwardly chuckle, standing up and brushing some crumbs off himself. "Uh… Sure, if you wanna." He perked up a little, thinking of fun things he could introduce this guy to. "The next town over has a museum! It's really neat! Wanna go check that out?"

Scourge scoffed. " _Museum?_ Museums are for nerds, let's go have some _real_ fun."

Scourge was already out the door before Manic could object. He sighed and looked down at Rattata. The small Pokémon looked back up at him with a puzzled expression. This guy was _weird,_ but he couldn't just let him run off, right? He could get lost!

Maybe.

Probably not.

The path ahead was pretty straightforward…

Whatever. He was going to follow anyway. Manic wrapped the rest of their bread in a few napkins and jammed it in his fanny pack before rushing outside, Rattata following close behind. "Yo, Scourge!" The bakery door swung shut behind him. " _Wait up!"_

* * *

A few minutes later, Manic found himself on the usual route he took out of town: a plain dirt road headed east over small hills, lush with tall grass, flowering bushes, and decently sized berry trees. A stream ran alongside the road, glittering in the sunlight. A Lotad quacked as he passed by and retreated into the water. A few Ducklett looked around for the disturbance, answering the Lotad with their own quacks. Two Tailow squabbled over a tiny piece of discarded food in the air, twittering loudly at each other until the smaller one gave up and fled. If he looked closely, he could see a short line of Bellsprout marching through the brush on the other side of the stream, following a Tangela.

All this, but no Scourge.

Manic could've sworn that he ran this way. There were no other ways to go, unless he wanted to go back to the forest.

" _Psst!"_

Manic's ears twitched towards the sound, then he looked up at one of the larger hills—one that was supposed to keep people fenced in and away from the true wilderness—and saw Scourge. He and his Pancham were crouched behind a big rock, honestly looking like they were up to no good.

" _Why're you whispering?"_ Manic hissed back. " _What're you doing up there?"_

" _Shh!"_ The hedgehog scolded, peeking back over the rock. " _You gotta see this!"_

Manic looked around. Nobody was watching… It was just him, Scourge, and their Pokémon.

This should be fine.

He managed to clamber his way up to where Scourge was sitting, plopping down in the soft grass. "You find somethin' cool?" He asked, trying to see if Scourge has anything in his hands.

The sharp-toothed hedgehog smirked. He had this evil glint in his eye as he slowly pointed down the other side of the hill, past the rock and at two small Doduo huddled together on the ground. One of them peeped, adjusted its legs, then returned to its nap. " _See those?"_

Manic looked. _They're so cute…_ He couldn't help but smile, laughing quietly. "Oh, yeah! I-"

" _SHH!"_ Scourge clapped his hand over Manic's mouth. Pancham flinched, but didn't look too disturbed by it. " _You're gonna wake 'em up!"_

Manic blinked. Alright, yeah. That was fair. He did tend to get loud when he was excited. Maybe Scourge was just worried about the babies. Yeah! Wouldn't wanna wake up these little birds…

Well, okay, he thought. "Little" because they're so cute, but they're, like… _At least_ a foot taller than him?

What did the Pokedex say, four and a half feet tall? That isn't that big... At least, not that big to normal, human-sized people.

Scourge pulled his hand away, still glaring daggers at Manic as a warning. Then, he hopped up on the rock, settling on it like a frog ready to pounce. He stared at the Doduo with an intense focus.

Uh oh... _He's plotting something._

" _Dude, what're you-"_

Too late. Scourge hopped off the rock and slid almost silently down the side of the hill, landing at the bottom surprisingly gracefully. The impact from his foot sent a small puff of dust into the air. What Manic swore was just a green blur dashed forward and leaped onto one of the birds' backs. The poor thing squawked and jumped to its feet, running around in circles. Scourge switched rapidly between mischievous laughter and screaming. Manic watched, horrified. _How did he think this was fun?_ The other Doduo cried out, running away and disappearing into a patch of thick foliage.

" _DUDE, NO!"_ Manic yelled, vaulting over the rock and sliding down the hill himself. His landing was a lot more clumsy, and he tumbled over himself once he reached the bottom.

Scourge gave a loud whoop, either not listening or ignoring him. He clung to the Doduo for dear life, a huge grin on his face. "MANIC!" He almost slipped, nearly sitting sideways as the Doduo tripped all over itself. Scourge laughed. It almost sounded like a scream. " _YOU GOTTA TRY THIS!"_

All three feet of Manic's Pokémon-loving self was deeply offended. Why would anyone even _think_ about trying to ride a wild Pokémon!? It's dangerous, and these were just babies! That's not cool! Manic took a deep breath and huffed, but an ear-splitting noise startled him.

Something screeched. The bushes shook, and out stepped a massive and _very angry_ Dodrio. The baby Doduo was standing behind it, its two heads looking around worriedly. One was following Scourge and what Manic could only assume to be its sibling, and the other was staring at him.

The Dodrio took in instantly what was happening to her poor baby, and all three of her heads flared their feathers and shrieked.

Scourge stopped laughing. " _WHAT THE HELL-!?"_

Manic winced. Oh dear, this was going to hurt…

The Doduo Scourge was riding finally kicked him off and ran away. Scourge hit the ground as the Dodrio charged. He opened his eyes and saw three angry bird heads and a pair of huge claws gunning for him. _That was his cue._ He rolled to the side, just barely avoiding being stomped on as he got to his feet.

The Dodrio stopped and turned around. It had fire in its eyes, staring down at Scourge. _If looks could kill…_

God, this was terrifying-... _No._ What was he thinking? No way an oversized three-headed kiwi with a bad attitude would scare him away! He picked up a stone, pointing towards the middle head and putting on a confident smirk. "You wanna fight?" Scourge shouted, reeling back. He chucked the rock as hard as he could. " _I'LL GIVE YOU A FIGHT!"_

The middle head opened its beak _and_ _caught it._

Scourge chuckled, taking a step back. "Uh…" _Damn it, how'd it do that!?_ Bullshit, that's what it is. " _Heh…_ Can I try again-?"

Dodrio squinted, its rage building. It threw the rock on the ground and stomped on it. When the dust cleared, only a miserable pile of pebbles remained.

" _Oh."_ Shit. That was… Unexpected.

The three heads screeched again as Dodrio got ready to pounce, when-

" _STOP!"_

The bird froze. Manic had jumped in between the creature and Scourge. He stood there shakily, panting as he stared up at this… _Enormous thing._ He had his hands held out towards the Pokémon in an attempt to distract it. This felt like a horrible idea, but… _He had to try._

"M-... _Ma'am?_ " He squeaked. It was a wild guess. "I know you're mad, but-... _Please,_ he didn't mean to hurt your baby!" He glanced back at Scourge with a grim expression. Hopefully he'd take the hint…

Scourge blinked. What the hell just happened? No way did he just-... For him? But _why?_ There had to be something else to it… He shook his head, trying to get out of his own head. _Don't think, thinking's dumb._ "Uh… Yeah!" He nodded wildly. "I, uh-... _Fell._ "

Liar. Dodrio knew it. It-... Okay, _she_ , stepped closer, squinting at the two hedgehogs suspiciously. She was _really_ close to Manic now. The right head lowered, trying to get a good look at him. Its beak was practically touching the tip of its nose, and it let out a low and aggravated caw.

Manic, trying not to tremble, forced a smile. "Hey! I, uh... " He continued to hold one hand up as he dug around in his fanny pack. A few rings and a pair of drumsticks fell to the ground as he rummaged through, then he took out the bread from earlier. It was squished and crumbs were falling out the sides of the napkin ball, but he opened it and held it up to the bird. "How about a trade?"

All three heads became curious. A thing? All of them tried to poke at it at once, prodding it with their sharp beaks. At least they looked interested…

Manic pulled the bread away, taking a few steps backwards towards Scourge. He accidentally bumped into him, and the leather-clad hedgehog froze, putting his hands on Manic's shoulders. "I-I'll give it to ya, i-if you let us go!" He stammered, waving the bread around in front of them, trying to keep their attention. "We won't bother you or your babies again. _Promise._ " He glanced back at Scourge again, gently elbowing him in the ribs.

" _Yeah!"_ Scourge yelped. "I-... Yeah. Promise." He held up one hand, closing his eyes and trying to look like a good boy. He was clearly full of shit. "Scout's honor or whatever the f-" Manic elbowed him again, harder this time. He coughed. " _Ow!"_

Dodrio seemed to accept this, rising to her full height, though she was still squinting at Scourge. Animals always did seem to have the ability to know if someone was a good person or not, and it was _very_ clear what she thought of him.

Manic set the bread on the ground in front of himself, gathered his things, then slowly started to back away towards the hill they came from, hands in the air and almost behind his head. Scourge didn't seem to get it until a second later—he ended up nervously scrambling after Manic, not wanting to risk getting pecked to death by this murderbird. Dodrio gave him a sharp caw just before he left the area she could reach, as if she were reprimanding him. He shuddered and sped up, climbing back up the hill after Manic.

Once the two boys were far enough away, the left head carefully picked up the bread in its beak. She walked back towards the tall grass and the two Doduo reappeared, crying up at their mother's heads. She set the bread down in front of them and watched as the four little heads pecked at it, making all sorts of noises as they enjoyed their treat.

Manic couldn't help but smile. It was a lot cuter when they were, well… Not terrified or trying to kill anyone.

Scourge, however, didn't look impressed. So much for that… How dare there be consequences for his actions? He scoffed, pulling his shades down over his eyes and walking back down the hill towards the path. "C'mon, bud, this blows."

Manic looked at him, confused. 'Bud'? That was oddly friendly-

Pancham squeaked, running after Scourge. The poor thing had been cowering behind the rock with Rattata the whole time.

Oh. _That_ bud… Got his hopes up a little too soon. He shook his head and followed Scourge down the hill, trying his best not to fall this time. "Hey!" He shouted, picking up speed and accidentally ending up in front of the grump. "Yeah, that kinda sucked, but…" He gave him an innocent smile, lowering his head and looking up at Scourge. _Those eyes…_ "Maybe we can go check out that museum now?"

"Rattata!" The mouse chimed in agreement. That sounded a lot less stressful than whatever happened back there...

Scourge lowered his glasses, peeking out over the top of the lenses and raising an eyebrow. This probably would've worked better if Pancham didn't stop by bumping right into his legs. Scourge stumbled, ruining the effect. He aimed a quick 'what the hell, dude' look down at his Pokémon, then back at Manic. _Damn it._ What he wouldn't give for this little idiot to stop giving him those puppy eyes…

It only got worse. Manic raised his eyebrows, his smile only becoming more pure. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing, and… Damn, was he good at it.

" _Fine…"_ Scourge grumbled, looking away and pushing his glasses back up. "We can go to your _stupid museum…_ Happy?"

" _Yes!"_ Manic cheered, pumping his fists in the air and running around Scourge a bit, now standing to his left. "C'mon, this way! Gotta get there before they close!"

Scourge rolled his eyes as the wild child ran off, stopping a few yards away and looking back at him with the goofiest grin as Rattata climbed up his leg and into his hair again. Nothing was really forcing him to stay with this utter dumbass, _but…_ Well, something inside was telling him to stay.

… Fuck it, what was a few more hours gonna do? Maybe he'd find a dumpster to light on fire or something. He chuckled at the thought. Bastard. " _Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'._ If ya smile any more, your face's gonna get stuck like that." He muttered, starting to walk again. He looked up, showing off his evil little shark teeth in a pointy grin. " _I'll laugh."_

Manic giggled. "C'mon, Slowpoke! Race ya there!"

Oh, little did he know…

Scourge laughed, humming through his nose as he kicked a pebble down the trail. Maybe he'd give this kid a few minutes head start...


	3. Chapter 3: A Learning Experience

"Welcome to the Sunshade City Museum of Natural History!" Chimed the woman behind the counter. "A child's ticket is ₽50, while Pokémon are free. Would you-"

" _Child?"_ Scourge growled at her and stepped forward, about to climb on top of the counter. " _Do I-"_

"Two tickets, please." Manic interrupted, holding up one hand to hold Scourge back and digging in his pack with the other. " _One… Second…"_

Scourge blinked. This little idiot didn't even hesitate to try hold him back, not like that single hand would stop him. _Child tickets…_ Bullshit. How old did this lady think he was? He definitely wasn't a child… He stepped down, muttering profanities under his breath. Fucking… _Child tickets…_

Manic finally managed to fish some money out, but not before dumping literally everything he had in that bag on the counter: a scuffed up and faded Pokéball, two newer looking ones, a Premier Ball, several dozen berries, two bottles of some mysterious green liquid, a Repel, a length of rope, a single Potion, a small bag of reddish dust that sparkled in the light, a round rock, another rock with a green leaf impression on it, a few more rocks, _even_ _more_ rocks… Damn, how many rocks did he have? Lastly, he set down a pair of drumsticks that Scourge recognized from earlier, and a half-eaten Lava Cookie. Manic separated ten rings from the pile and pushed them towards the lady, then hurriedly tried to shove everything else back in the bag. Scourge had been watching in a curious silence. How did he fit all of that in there…?

The woman winced as the clutter piled up, but accepted the rings with a relieved smile. She put them into a cash register and handed him two slips of paper with a smile, as well as a colorful brochure. "We hope you enjoy your stay!"

Manic flashed a smile back at her, taking the tickets and handing one to Scourge. "Thanks!"

Scourge stared down at his. It was a cream colored ticket stub, printed with a cartoonish caricature of an Omanyte with a cheesy smile. He hated the damn thing. Just looking at it filled him with an unnecessary and indescribable rage. Why did Manic think he'd want to _keep_ this garbage? He crumpled it up and threw it at a trash can by the counter. It missed and bounced unheeded to the floor as he passed by.

The two walked past the counter and into a large central area with a symbol on the floor in the shape of a Pokéball, followed by their Pokémon. It was oddly empty, except for a few glass cases against the walls and several skeletons suspended from wires above them. Through a large corridor they could see even more bones, all of them posed in what looked like some sort of battle scene. This may have wowed everyone else who came into the museum, but not Scourge. As someone who had seen, and _been in,_ hundreds of fights, long dead animals posed in a weak imitation of one just made him yawn.

Manic was the exact opposite. "Check that out!" He gasped. He pointed down the hall towards the fossil display with a huge smile on his face, bursting with excitement. "They've got a Tyrantrum skeleton now! C'mon, let's go!"

"Wh-" Scourge began way too slowly. Manic and his Rattata had already ran off. Figures… Sighing loudly, he eyed one of the low glass cases. Something sparkling in it caught his eye. _That_ looked like it had potential… He smirked, looking down at Pancham. "Whaddaya say we grab a lil' souvenir?"

The tiny panda Pokémon returned the grin and gave his trainer a happy squeak, excited at the thought of theft.

Scourge laughed. Picking Pancham up, he dashed over to the display case. Inside there were three things, all labeled with tiny gold plaques to describe them — a Helix Fossil, a chunk of Old Amber, and a Dome Fossil, each remnants of some ancient Pokémon he had never heard the names of. Not like he cared… His eyes were locked on the shiny orange crystal in the center. That _had_ to be worth something.

He looked back towards the front desk. Nobody was watching. To the left, a few people were taking pictures. To the right, a guard stood leaning against the wall, his hat tilted down so the brim covered his eyes. He looked asleep.

 _Perfect._

...Now the only issue was getting into the display without making any noise.

Taking a deep breath, he ducked under the railing preventing people from getting too close. Running his fingers along the edge of the glass, he found a part he could try to lift and attempted to jiggle the glass. To his surprise, it wasn't secure. The only thing stopping people from taking this junk was the stupid rail and a hunger cover? People were too trusting here… Oh well, it worked out just fine for him.

Pancham squeaked quietly, laughing a bit as he reached out and grabbed the stone, holding it carefully in his front paws. He smiled, looking up at Scourge with a huge grin. His ears perked up and he squeaked again, expecting some kind of praise.

"That's _great_ …" Scourge chuckled evilly as he shut the case, ducking back under the rail and rubbing Pancham's head. "Let's get the heck outta here before- _Oof!_ " He'd tried to run, but just slammed into someone. "What the…?"

Looking up, he was met by the judgemental gaze of a tall rabbit. Physically, she looked calm, but something in her eyes was indescribably angry. A small child was with her, shyly peeking out from behind her dress.

"You know it says 'Do Not Touch', correct?" She asked with a tight smile. It definitely wasn't genuine.

"Um-" Scourge coughed. " _Excuse me?"_ Where the hell did this lady come from!? How did she sneak up on him like that?

Pancham suddenly became afraid, trying to curl up in Scourge's arms and trying his best to hide the jewel. Being so small, he wasn't doing a very good job.

"No need to act innocent, young man." The woman said sternly. "I know what you did, and I know that doesn't belong to you. I'll give you _one chance_ to put it back before facing the consequences."

Scourge rolled his eyes. Who does this old lady think she is? "What are you, a cop?" He scoffed. "Fuck off."

The woman blinked in surprise. How rude could someone possibly be? "I may not be a police officer..." She began, sounding increasingly agitated. Her fake smile was slowly fading away into a more cross expression. " _But I do know a crook when I see one."_

" _Yo, Mrs. V!"_ Cried a cheerful voice. The tension was cut as Manic ran in, his Rattata once again perched on top of his head. "Didn't know you were here! What's up?"

The woman briefly turned away from Scourge to greet Manic, but-

"Hello, mister Manic!" The small child behind her chirped. The Buneary in her arms squeaked in excitement. "How are you today?"

"Doin' great!" He replied, laughing. "Nice to see ya!"

Vanilla smiled at him. This was an actual, genuine smile, soft and gentle. That loving mother's smile that makes you feel warm inside. "Lovely meeting you here, Manic." She said, her long ears swaying gently behind her back. "I assume you aren't here to challenge me, are you?"

Manic's gleeful expression shifted into an awkward smile as he settled down, chuckling nervously. "Uh… _Nah…_ Don't think so." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his shoes. "Not today, anyway…"

Rattata started to look a bit squeamish as well, his nose twitching. "Rattata…"

Vanilla nodded. "Very well then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take care of this _thief_."

Scourge, still standing there, let out a quiet sigh. "Listen, lady, I don't know what you're talkin' about-"

The Old Amber clattered on the floor at his feet, and the whole room went silent. Pancham was trembling like a leaf.

" _What the hell, dude?"_ Scourge hissed down at him.

Pancham squeaked fearfully, looking up at Scourge with a sad look in his eyes. This was supposed to be fun, not scary… He had no idea they'd get in trouble. They never really got in trouble before…

Vanilla picked up the stone and looked at Scourge, the friendliness melting away again. "No idea, hm?"

The hedgehog choked. "I, uh-... I have no idea how that got there." He said, forcing himself to laugh. "This's all a big misunderstanding-"

"Do you really think I'm going to believe you?" Vanilla asked. "A strange, thuggish boy who, in all my years of being here, I have never seen before in this town? In fact, I believe someone like you would have caught my eye in my travels around this region. Where are you from?"

Scourge's ears flattened against his head. He'd never admit it, but this lady was… Intimidating. "Wh-... _Wouldn't you like to know?"_

Vanilla squinted.

"Woah, woah!" Manic interjected. "There's gotta be a way to wrap this up nicely, right? Uh… How about a battle?"

"Wait, what-"

"If he wins, he gets to keep the rock, but if you win…" He looked up at Vanilla. "You get to keep it for the museum, and I'll show him out. How's that sound?"

Vanilla contemplated this for a moment, then smiled again and took a Pokéball out of her purse — a Luxury Ball. "Very well, then. In that case..." She looked at Scourge again with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle."

"Wait, _right now?"_ Scourge asked, shocked.

"Yes, _right now_." Vanilla confirmed, Cream peeking out from behind her once more. "You can't decline an invitation to battle, especially from a gym leader. That would be very rude."

Scourge growled. There was no way he'd back down, now that this damn lady decided to stick her nose where it didn't belong. " _Fine!_ I'll accept your dumb invitation! Me and Pancham could beat you anytime, _anywhere!"_

Vanilla nodded, then walked to the far side of the room. "Would you like to go first?"

A crowd began to form a ring around them. Scourge muttered something under his breath. This _sucked._ This lady couldn't be so tough, right? _Come on._ So what if she's a gym leader? This town looked like one of the shitty ones where the ten year olds come to train, at _best._ "Piece of cake, right?" He said, looking down at Pancham again. "You can take whatever she throws at ya!"

Pancham still looked nervous, but squeaked back at Scourge. His trainer believed in him! That had to be worth _something!_ Now eager to fight, he ran into the ring. Maybe this would be fun?

Vanilla smiled again, tossing the Luxury Ball into the ring. There was a flash of red light and a puff of smoke. The cloud quickly dissipated, revealing a Lopunny standing confidently on the other end of the room. Pancham froze. This Pokémon was so much bigger than he was, and it looked… _Angry._

"Pancham, Body Slam!"

His ears perked up and he looked back at Scourge. The hedgehog was pointing at the Lopunny, his usual toothy grin plastered on his face, but… _Pancham didn't know how to do that._ He squeaked softly, confused, then looked at Lopunny.

It was still staring, looking even more menacing than before. It didn't show any signs of doubt. Something in its eyes was… Shrewd. Calculating. Serious.

Pancham tried to focus. He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes and ran for it. Scourge cheered, and-

A small black and white mass was launched across the room.

Everyone flinched.

The battle had barely even started, and Pancham had already collapsed onto the floor in a furry heap.

Scourge was stunned. "Hey, that's not fair!" He choked. He glared at Vanilla, clenching his fists. "You cheated!"

"In no way did I cheat." Vanilla replied, raising her voice. She sounded offended. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing?"

Scourge wasn't listening. All he knew was that he was pissed, and that this was somehow unfair. "SHUT UP! I'LL FIGHT YOUR DUMB BUNNY MYSELF!"

Manic's eyes widened. He reached for Scourge's shoulder, intending to stop him, but-

" _AAAGH!"_

Scourge ran for the Lopunny, taking a swing at it, but it disappeared in a red flash before he got the chance. Punching at the air, he lost his balance and fell down.

Manic ran up to him, completely caught off-guard. He was too worried to wonder why the hell Scourge would even think of attacking a Pokémon on his own… Kneeling down, he held his hand out in an attempt to help. "Dude, _what's wrong with you?_ " He asked in disbelief. "Are ya hurt?"

Scourge was just ignoring everyone at this point. He stood up and rushed over to Pancham, picked him up gently, and his ears flattened against his head. " _I've got you, bud…_ " He whispered. " _We'll get her back, I promise…"_

"Dude?"

"What!?" Scourge snapped.

"I, uh-... Um…" Manic mumbled. "We should probably get him to a Pokémon Center…"

"Oh, _really?_ I had no idea!" Scourge snapped.. " _No shit, Sherlock."_

Before Manic could respond, Scourge had already shoved his way through the crowd and disappeared. He sighed, looking at Vanilla. "Why'd ya bring _her_ out, Mrs. V?"

Vanilla shook her head, adjusting the cuff of her glove as she walked up to him. "He needed to be taught a lesson. I couldn't let him go unpunished, could I?" She glanced at the front entrance, then looked down at Manic again. She did feel a bit bad about this whole thing, but not quite enough to let someone get away with attempted robbery. She started to dig in her purse again, sighing. "If either of you would like to challenge me again, I'll be waiting here."

Manic raised an eyebrow. "Like… A fair fight?"

Vanilla chuckled and pulled something out of her purse. "Yes, a fair fight! Silly boy..." She gently grabbed one of Manic's hands and set what she had in his palm — three Lava Cookies. "Here, take a little treat for you and your siblings. Make sure you _share it_ this time!"

"Oh, gee-..." He smiled, rubbing his neck. "Thanks! I-..." He looked around. He didn't really like this crowd… "I'm gonna go make sure he doesn't get lost or somethin'..."

The rabbit waved as he ran out. "Goodbye! You two stay out of trouble, okay?"

He turned his head to shout back once he reached the door. "Will do, Mrs. V!"

* * *

"Scourge?"

No answer.

" _Scourge…!"_

Manic's voice echoed. No answer. He glanced around the little city, which was growing quiet and dark as the sun went down. Where could he be…? Sunshade wasn't big, and he wasn't in the Pokémon Center, so where else could he have gone? He wouldn't have gone in the museum again, that's for sure. The only other buildings in this town were a few restaurants, closed for the evening, and a few houses lining the streets. He looked down at his Rattata. The Pokémon was sitting on the brick road, grooming himself as usual. His ear twitched, and he looked up alertly at Manic with bright, beady eyes. Manic smiled. It was nice having company.

"Think we'll find him?"

The Pokémon got to his feet again. He dashed forward, sniffed at the air, then ran back to Manic. "Rattata!"

"Why's your mind always on food…?" He asked quietly, trying to suppress a soft chuckle. "We can stop for a snack _after,_ okay?"

Rattata seemed content with this answer. His ear twitched again, then he scurried up Manic's leg, up his back, and onto Manic's head. Rattata nestled in his messy quills and laid down. Sonia always used to say his hair looked like a Rattata's nest, but he never took it seriously. Maybe that wasn't so far from the truth after all…

Manic took a deep breath and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting into the darkness once more.

" _SCOURGE!"_

" _Rattata!"_

Manic laughed. He was doing his best…

A few passersby gave them some judgemental glances. Manic returned their looks with a sheepish smile. Oops... The last thing anyone in this town would want was some idiot and his Pokémon screaming in the middle of the road…

Scourge didn't _leave,_ right? Manic's heart sank at the thought. Not again... Just when he thought he had made a new friend, they ditched him. Or-... Maybe he was too quick to think that people would abandon him… Yeah. He was probably just overthinking this. It was late, and they both hadn't eaten yet. Manic chided himself; he was being too quick to give up. Sonic wouldn't tolerate any of that-

He heard footsteps from behind and froze. Dark, shady street corner, middle of the night… Oh crap, was he about to get mugged? He didn't even have anything worth stealing-!

"L-listen, I don't-"

"Miss me, fuzzhead?"

Manic gasped. He turned around, and- There he was! Scourge! He smiled, trying to hide his excitement, but… He was just _so happy._ "Dude, you're here!" He said, perking up. "Didn't ya hear me callin' you just now?"

Scourge crunched on a half-eaten candy bar, looking tired and disinterested. "Eh… Maybe."

" _Maybe?"_ Manic echoed. His smile wavered. "That's all you've got? I was gettin' worried about-"

"Don't waste your breath, kid. Nobody's gotta worry about me but _me._ " He interrupted. He took another bite out of his candy bar. "Went to that Pokémon Center you talked about. Pancham's bein' taken care of. Thought I'd leave for a sec, find somethin' to eat."

Manic raised an eyebrow, starting to laugh. "You sure made a scene back at the-"

" _Don't remind me."_

The look on Scourge's face froze Manic into silence. He didn't really want to know what would happen if Scourge got any angrier with him. "Oh. I, uh-... _Sorry_..." Bad feelings made him want to eat. Not the best response to sadness, but nobody was around to scold him for it. He dug around in his bag, pulling out one of the Lava Cookies and taking a big bite out of it. "Y'know…" He chewed and swallowed. "Vanilla said she'd let us battle her, if we wanted to. Like… An actual battle. A fair one! Not like-"

"Get to the _point,_ already," Scourge commanded, tapping his foot.

Manic paused. This constant interruption was ruining his flow… "Well, uh-... You like fighting, and I like to explore and stuff…" Manic shifted his weight to one side, glancing away. "Maybe we could, um… Take the gym challenge, you and me?" The hope that Scourge might say yes cheered him up a bit. "It'll be fun!"

Scourge opened his mouth to say that was the dumbest idea he'd ever heard, but then he stopped to actually think about it for a moment. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. Running around, getting to beat up more Pokémon, getting stronger… The thought of being champion, being _the best…_ Even get a little revenge on the scary and judgemental museum lady who looked like an angry librarian. That was definitely something he'd like. He and Pancham could be _unstoppable._ Having this little weirdo jump in to defend him whenever there was trouble wouldn't be so bad either…

He took another bite of his candy bar. "Y'know what? That idea ain't half bad." His words were muffled through his mouthful of food. "I can't think of anything better to do anyway." That mischievous smile started shining through again, though it was a little marred by the chocolate on his teeth . "Might as well."

"Really!?" Manic shouted, eyes sparkling with excitement. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. "I mean… _Really?_ You'd go traveling all over the region with _me?_ "

"Don't make me question it, fuzzball." Scourge replied. He crumpled up the candy bar wrapper and tossed it over his shoulder as he started to walk away. "Let's get a move on, we haven't got all day." He stopped, looked up at the sky, then started to hurry along again. "Or night, or whatever… You know what I mean."

The somewhat unfamiliar feeling of pride began to swell in Manic's chest. He never thought he'd get the chance to go on a big adventure again! Especially after his siblings had grown up and left him behind to do their own things…

Putting on a confident smile, he and his Rattata ran after Scourge down the lamplit street, eager for the adventure that lay ahead of them.


End file.
